The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has sounded the alarm over a surge in child malnutrition in Gaza, warning that the rate of acute malnutrition among children under five has doubled between March and June due to the Israeli blockade.
UNRWA medical teams conducted nearly 74,000 screenings across Gaza during this period, uncovering approximately 5,500 cases of moderate acute malnutrition and over 800 instances of severe acute malnutrition.
More than 3,500 children have been treated so far this year. Yet agency officials say time and resources are running out.
Two-year-old Laila was shot in the head by Israeli forces while inside her home in Jenin, in the occupied #WestBank.
According to @UNHumanRights, Israeli forces have repeatedly used unnecessary, disproportionate — and often lethal — force against Palestinians who did not pose… pic.twitter.com/X8EpzIpefR
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) July 16, 2025
Since October 7, 2023, UNRWA has provided more than 9 million health consultations, averaging 15,000 daily.
“No other health provider in Gaza delivers primary care on this scale,” the agency stated.
That scale, however, is increasingly unsustainable. According to UNRWA, over half of its facilities, 188 sites, are located within Israeli-designated military zones or areas marked for evacuation, severely hampering operations.
Only six health centers and 22 stationary medical points remain operational, supported by 22 mobile units.
The medical supply chain has all but collapsed. UNRWA reports a 57% depletion in essential medications, including drugs for hypertension, parasitic infections, fungal diseases, eye inflammation, and skin conditions. Oral antibiotics for adults are no longer available.
This is Salam, just under 7 months old and suffering from serious acute malnutrition.
Yesterday, UNRWA health teams were giving her emergency treatment.
Sadly, Salam died later in the day.
She is one of thousands of malnourished children in Gaza. More cases are detected every… pic.twitter.com/heomKXNnzx
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) July 9, 2025
“Children are dying before our eyes,” the agency declared. “We lack both the medical supplies and sustainable food needed to treat them.”
Water services are also at risk. Of UNRWA’s ten main water wells, only two remain functional; 41 smaller wells still operate within shelters.
Fuel restrictions have further endangered emergency services, with the agency warning that rescue operations face imminent shutdown unless sustained fuel supplies are allowed into the enclave.
Two months ago, UNRWA was forced to cease water and sanitation services for 25,000 displaced people in northern Gaza following evacuation orders issued by Israeli occupation forces, another blow to already strained infrastructure.
“There is no dignity, there is complete humiliation, and total depravity,” UNRWA Sam Rose tells @CNN.
Over 400 distribution points once served people across #Gaza.
Now, aid hubs open for minutes at night amid gunfire. To get there people have to walk several kilometres through… pic.twitter.com/Q3JcMoOQ59
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) July 16, 2025
As the humanitarian crisis deepens, UNRWA continues to call for unfettered access to critical aid and protection for its facilities. Without immediate intervention, the cost will be measured in lives lost, not just logistics.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 58,573 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including more than 17,131 children, 10,190 women, 4,147 elders, and 257 journalists. The number of wounded has reached 139,607, mostly children and women. Additionally, over 9,000 Palestinians remain missing, believed to be trapped under rubble across various areas of the devastated Gaza Strip.
